Is Wizz Air's £426-a-year 'all you can fly' offer really such a good deal? Some say unlimited flights subscription is 'insanely great' - but others warn of hidden catches
Budget airline Wizz Air has launched a new 'all you can fly' deal for just £426-a-year with customers able to jump on unlimited flights.
The subscription service, priced at €499 (£426) for a short time in August, allows passengers to fly as far as the Maldives for a flat fare of £9 per hop.
Wizz said it had been 'overwhelmed by the extremely positive response' for the new scheme that will be valid on flights from September 25.
'This membership will allow frequent flyers to save money, visit friends and family more regularly and spontaneously visit off-the-beaten-track destinations', a spokesperson for the airline said.
But is Wizz Air's offer really such a good deal?
While some customers and experts have said the scheme is insanely great - others have warned there are hidden catches.
Budget airline Wizz Air has launched a new 'all you can fly' deal for just £426-a-year with customers able to jump on unlimited flights
The small print
One snag is that it is for last-minute trips only, and bookings must be made within 72 hours of the flight taking off.
Passengers must also pay an additional fee of £9 every time they book a trip and the deal is valid for one person only.
Flights do not include 'trolley bags' to be stored in the overhead lockers and crucially it depends whether there are any seats left on the aircraft at the time of booking.
Another snag is that, while £426 a year sounds cheap, so are Wizz Air flights.
This means customers could need to book up three to five flights a year before making their money back.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel has advised passengers to look beyond the enticing headline price of the deal to work out if it will really save them money.
He said that multiple short-notice journeys will be required to make the subscription fee worth it.
Mr Boland added in his comments to the BBC: 'It is also ironic to see an airline which claims to be Europe's 'greenest' encouraging consumers to take unlimited flights.'
Wizz said it has been 'overwhelmed by the extremely positive response' for the new scheme that will be valid from September 25
The subscription service, priced at €499 (£426) for a short time in August, allows passengers to fly as far as the Maldives (pictured) for a flat fare of £9 per hop
Pictured: Passengers board a Wizz Air plane at London Luton airport in December last year
Flight delays
Wizz Air was named the worst airline in the UK for flight delays in June following analysis of data by the PA news agency.
The low-cost carrier's departures from UK airports were an average of 31 minutes and 36 seconds behind schedule last year, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority.
This was a reduction of nearly a third compared with 2022, but means the airline recorded the worst punctuality for UK flights for three consecutive years.
Wizz Air said at the time it had made 'significant improvements' but acknowledged there is 'still work to be done'.
One disgruntled customer James Glenton, 36, from York, said according to the BBC: 'You can subscribe to this scheme but you might never take off'.
He is still hoping for compensation from the airline for a cancelled flight one year on.
Mr Glenton's flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to Wroclaw in Poland was cancelled in July last year and he had to travel from Luton the next day.
He claims the cancellation cost him two days of his holiday, money on a hotel and petrol costs travelling to and from Luton.
Travel whenever you like
Some customers, however, have said they will definitely be signing up for the scheme as it gives them the opportunity to travel whenever they like for a small cost.
Talie Delemere, 34, who lives near Luton Airport has already paid the subscription fee.
She told the BBC: 'I travel a lot anyway, between eight and 12 times a year and I mostly travel with hand luggage.'
Ryanair and Wizz Air aircraft are seen at Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest
Pictured: Prague in the Czech Republic which is one of Wizz Air's popular destinations
Travel expert Simon Calder said the scheme is great for frequent flyers such as Eastern Europeans who live in the UK and frequently travel back to visit family.
Flyers will be able to use the deal to travel from 200 cities in more than 50 countries on 800 Wizz Air routes.
Wizz Air's Commercial Officer, Silvia Mosquera said: 'We are thrilled to be the first to introduce this one-of-a-kind membership for travellers in Europe.
The WIZZ All You Can Fly membership will give customers hundreds of spontaneous travel options for a fixed price, giving them freedom to fly whenever is convenient without paying extra.
'From the adventurous travellers, to the digital nomads, this membership will make travel easier for frequent flyers and connect people with new people and places.'
The deal was priced at €499 (£426) between August 13 and August 15.
For those who have missed the deadline the same deal will cost £85 more and is limited to 10,000 customers.
